crbutler wrote:There have been some here that say it will allow them to shoot multiple animals out of a herd because the suppressed shot doesn't cause them to run... To me, that is unsporting. Fine if you are shooting varmints, but not game animals.
That claim is no different than the claim that everyone will turn into ninjas and assassins if suppressors were legalized. It's simply complete BS. Suppressors don't silence a firearm, they lower the sound of the concussion blast at the muzzle. The sound produced from a suppressed .308 rifle is still around 5 times louder than a jackhammer. I doubt many game animals would ignore something like that. A suppressor also does nothing to limit the ballistic crack (sonic boom) of the bullet breaking the sound barrier. While there is subsonic ammo that you can use with a suppressor, it doesn't lend itself to hunting anything other than varmints. There is a reason that people hunt with bullets that move fast - they're effective at taking game.
As far as unsporting goes, the Boone and Crocket Club, arbiters of the fair chase doctrine since 1887, do not believe that game taken with a suppressor gives the hunter an improper or unethical advantage. However, use of other technology such as radios and drone cameras are considered a fair chase violation, and are ineligible for records. I understand that this is a big issue for many hunters, as it should be. But those organizations like Boone and Crocket who establish the conditions of fair chase have found no issue with suppressors. In fact, Teddy Roosevelt often used a suppressed rifle when hunting, and he was the original author of "The Credo of Fair Chase" back in 1893.
There is going to be a lot of misunderstandings and misinformation in the near future, and much of it - like the question of fair chase - is a legitimate question that deserves to be answered honestly for people. We've gotten word that the sales staff at a particular Cabela's has been telling their customers that people are limited to 4 suppressors, and that each one can only be used on the specific firearm it was registered for. This is complete and total bull$hit, but there are going to be a lot of customers of their who will repeat this nonsense, and swear up and down that it's the truth because they heard it from an "expert". This forum, as well as
silentMinnesota and
MN NFA Only on Facebook, and a multitude of other sites are a great source for info on the change to the law, as well as information on suppressors in general.